Great Blue Heron on a very foggy morning – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 800, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Yesterday was one of those mornings when the hourly forecast and the radar/satellite imagery didn’t seem to match up at all and because of that I ended up at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge where the fog was about the thickest I have ever seen it at the refuge.
There was one other time I’d gone to the refuge with my friend Jolie Gordon when we went there looking for a Snowy Owl that had been reported. We didn’t find the Snowy Owl but we did come home with some wonderful, foggy photos of Barn Owls in flight. Despite the foggy weather that day Jolie and I had a wonderful time and the weather conditions tested our skills.
Yesterday I made up my mind that I would make the best of the foggy conditions and before I got to the the auto tour loop I hoped that I would see some swans in the heavy fog. I’ve taken photos of Tundra Swans before in foggy, snowy conditions and loved the resulting images.
I didn’t find or even hear swans yesterday. I did find and photograph some Great Blue Herons on the west side of the auto tour route at the refuge in the heaviest fog I believe I have ever photographed in.
Taking the photos of the Great Blues in the thick layer of fog tested my skills as a bird photographer.
Great Blue Heron landing in heavy fog – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 800, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I actually welcomed the challenge. Why? Because taking photographs on sunny days doesn’t challenge me as much as taking bird photos in poor conditions does. I also know that when I photograph in adverse conditions that it is an opportunity to increase and grow my skills.
These foggy Great Blue Heron photos are probably the foggiest images in my portfolio and despite that I truly like how they turned out. Challenge met and celebrated.
Bear River MBR on a foggy January morning – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 800, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 31mm, natural light
Poor weather conditions aren’t always a bad thing to be met with in the field. They can also be an opportunity to take images that are unique and visually interesting.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.
Well, your skills certainly measured up to the conditions. These are wonderful images. There’s an ethereal serenity to them that is simply beautiful…[and maybe just a tad chilly]. Thanks Mia.
Beautiful…dreamy…like exotic Japanese prints…
You MORE than met that challenge. Thank you.
Bravo I like the fog and your shots are excellent.
Wonderful tech, Mia
Thank you Bob.
Very dramatic photos.
Thanks Liz!
With the weather we’ve had lately, I’ve been thinking about how to best get focus in low-contrast/hazy/foggy scenes since my camera misses from time to time. Do you ever focus manually under those conditions? I have the D500 and it struggles sometimes.
Suzanne, there are times I have had to manually focus on my subjects but didn’t need to yesterday in the fog.